Characterization of AlGaAs microstructure fabricated by AlGaAs/GaAsmicromachining

An AlGaAs/GaAs micromachining technique that is compatible with laser diode fabrication process is described. AlGaAs structural layers and GaAs sacrificial layers are prepared by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy. Reactive dry etching with chlorine is used to fabricate high-aspect structures. Peroxide/ammonium hydroxide solution is used for selective etching of the sacrificial layer. Since the epitaxial layer has low stress, precise undeformed microstructures are obtained. Good compatibility with the LD process makes it possible to integrate microcantilever beams with LD's without degradation of LD characteristics. Microcantilever beams of AlGaAs are characterized by directly measuring stiffness and natural frequencies. A fracture test is also performed on the AlGaAs microcantilever beams. The average fracture stress of AlGaAs is found to be 1 GPa at 1% strain, which shows that the material is strong enough to support the micrometer scale structures     

Stability of the TAR RNA and its complex with arginine

Most stable secondary structures and their stabilization energies of the TAR RNA with +1 to +104 nucleotide-sequence region were calculated at different temperatures by using thermodynamic parameters for RNA structure prediction. The most stable secondary structure has one bulge and one loop within the region of +20 to +40 nucleotide sequence, and its stabilization energy at 37 degrees C was -46.3 kcal mol-1. The interaction of a TAR bulge oligomer (TARBO) with arginine (Arg) which was in the binding site of a Tat protein was also investigated by CD measurements. The addition of Arg did not affect the CD spectrum of TARBO. The result was different from that of the RNA oligomer with both bulge and loop.     

Superconductivity in W-containing diamond-like nanocomposite films

Superconductivity in a tungsten-containing carbon-oxide film was reported. The film with 500 nm thickness was deposited onto polycrystalline silicon oxides using chemical vapor deposition and the co-sputtering of a tungsten metal target. The bonding state of the carbon atoms and the macroscopic and microscopic crystal structure of the film were investigated by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy measurements. From the experimental results, we determined that this film essentially had an amorphous structure. The temperature dependence on resistivity was measured in the temperature range of 2–300 K. Resistive superconducting transition was observed at 3.8 K. The dc magnetizations were measured in the temperature range of 1.8–6.5 K. The diamagnetism resulting from a superconductive state was observed below 3.75 K, which is consistent with a resistive superconducting transition. It is thought that the finite sized clusters of the different superconductive transition temperatures cooperatively produce a macroscopic superconducting phenomenon.     

水平管气力输送数值模拟

本文采用粒子追踪理论对水平管中粒子流动状态进行了数值模拟.文中提出了一种新的粒子碰撞模型,并忽略粒子的旋转和扬力,仅考虑气流阻力和重力对粒子的影响,在输送量为9.13×10~3kg/s,混合比约0.3的条件下,通过数值计算得知:由于粒子间的碰撞,使得异径粒子的速度趋向平均化;粒子间的碰撞是粒子悬浮的原因之一;粒子的浓度沿管轴向是随时间而发生变化的.     

Detection of hepatitis C virus RNA in the liver by in situ hybridization

To examine HCV infection histologically, we attempted non-radioactive in situ hybridization of HCV-RNA in the liver. We amplified cDNA probe (360 base pairs) by PCR using the primers deduced from the core region of the HCV genome. The probe was labelled with digoxigenin by PCR and used for in situ hybridization on paraformaldehyde-fixed frozen liver sections. The hybrids were visualized immunohistochemically with alkaline-phosphatase-conjugated anti-digoxigenin and alkaline-phosphatase substrates. HCV-RNA-cDNA hybrids were detected in 21 of 24 patients with positive serum HCV markers, whereas there were no positive signals in the liver of 12 cases without HCV infection. The signal intensity of HCV-RNA-cDNA hybrids was abolished after RNase treatment. Various other specificity experiments also verified specific hybridization of HCV-RNA-cDNA. HCV-RNA was visualized in liver cells and most of them were regarded as hepatocytes from their characteristic features. The infected hepatocytes were frequently associated with mononuclear cell infiltration. Hepatocytes positive for HCV-RNA were sometimes binuclear and distributed in various patterns among cases tested. The present in situ hybridization of HCV RNA is highly sensitive and specific and the results suggest the host immune response to HCV-infected cells.     

Design of electrofusion joints and evaluation of fusion strength using fusion simulation technology

Fusion simulation is one of the key techniques in designing and producing electrofusion (EF) joints for gas distribution and in evaluating fusion joint integrity. This paper describes the result of a numerical simulation of a thermal fusion process, using the finite element method. A nonlinear heat transfer computer program was used to obtain the temperature profile of a large electrofusion joint at fusion. The effects of applied voltage, heating time, wire pitch, and ambient temperature were examined for designing a 150-mm EF joint. A method to shorten the cooling time was also investigated. The fusion condition range suitable for a 150-mm EF joint was found to be slightly narrower than that suitable for a 50-mm EF joint. Examination of the effect of wire pitch revealed that if the pitch is extremely large, thermal degradation starts in the resin close to the wire before the fusion-interface strength reaches the maximum value. We have developed a program to simulate the process of closing the gap between the pipe and the joint due to resin expansion and melting after the power is supplied.     

Thiamine pyrophosphatase activity in the Golgi apparatus of calcitonin-treated osteoclasts.

The thiamine pyrophosphatase (TPPase) activity described by Novikoff and Goldfisher was examined in osteoclasts affected by calcitonin in order to elucidate whether the morphological and functional changes of the osteoclasts have an influence over the secretion function of their Golgi apparatus. The Golgi apparatus of osteoclasts of which the ruffled border had disappeared and bone resorption discontinued as the result of treatment with calcitonin showed a slight TPPase activity. The reaction products of the enzyme in these inactive osteoclasts were distinctly fewer than that of control osteoclasts, which were not affected by calcitonin. From these results, it is suggested that there may be a connection between the morphological and functional changes of osteoclasts and the secretion function of the Golgi apparatus.     

Effects of weak shear on hyperswollen lyotropic smectic liquid crystals

We have developed a Zimm-type viscometer specially designed for the simultaneous measurements of the structure factor and the viscosity of hyperswollen lyotropic liquid crystals under a very weak shear. We have investigated the shear effects on the layer undulation fluctuation in the lamellar structure and the transition from the anisotropic lamellar to the isotropic sponge phase. We have found a significant difference in the rheological properties between the lamellar and the sponge phase: The former exhibits non-Newtonian flow behavior, while the latter exhibits Newtonian behavior.Paper presented at the Twelfth Symposium on Thermophysical Properties, June 19–24, 1994, Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A.     

Application of boundary element method to 3-D problems of coupled thermoelasticity

This paper deals with a new boundary element method for analysis of the quasistatic problems in coupled thermoelasticity. Through some mathematical manipulation of the Navier equation in elasticity, the heat conduction equation is transformed into a simpler form, similar to the uncoupled-type equation with the modified thermal conductivity which shows the coupling effects. This procedure enables us to treat the coupled thermoelastic problems as an uncoupled one, A few examples are computed by the proposed BEM, and the results obtained are compared with the analytical ones available in the literature, whereby the accuracy and versatility of the proposed method are demonstrated.     

Multichannel fiber ferrule for a stable laser-diode array module

We developed a multichannel fiber ferrule for a stable laser-diode array module. To apply YAG laser welding to parallel butt couple between the laser-diode and the single-mode fiber arrays, hermetically sealed and precisely aligned equi-interval fibers are required. We describe a V-grooved ceramic ferrule for embedding fibers. Fibers are fixed by soldering, using a flat ceramic lid and aligned with a 250 μm pitch. Our ferrule allowed a metallic, stem mounting laser-diode, to be fixed by YAG laser welding. All 30 samples tested have a leak rate of less than 1×10^-10 atm·cc/s. Optical coupling of fabricated modules was 9.7±0.2 dB and coupling loss change from 25°C to 115°C was within 0.5 dB